Boot upper quarter molding machine

Abstract

A machine for molding the quarter of a boot upper by causing a female mold (36) to press the quarter against a male mold (74). The male mold (74) is mounted bottom-up by a stem (76) connected by the front portion (72) of a beam (70) to the machine frame (14). The beam front portion (72) has a cavity (84) located above the rearmost end (82) of the male mold (74).

I claim: 
     
       1. A boot upper quarter molding machine comprising: a frame; a male mold; mounting means mounting the male mold bottom-up; a female mold so mounted to the frame as to be movable between an idle position wherein the female mold is spaced from the male mold and a working position wherein the female mold presses a quarter mounted on the male mold against the rearmost end and the sides of the male mold; means for initially maintaining the female mold in its idle position; and actuable means for thereafter moving the female mold to its working position; characterized in that said mounting means comprises: a stem secured to and extending upwardly of the bottom surface of the male mold; and connecting means so connecting the stem to the frame as to render the rearmost end of the male mold visible from above the connecting means; the machine being so constructed and arranged that the space beneath the downwardly facing top surface of the male mold is free of any machine parts for a distance sufficient to accommodate the shaft of the boot upper. 
     
     
       2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises: a beam mounted to the frame and secured to the stem, said beam having a portion overlying the rearmost end of the male mold with said portion having a cavity located directly above the rearmost end of the male mold to thereby effect said rendering of the rearmost end of the male mold visible. 
     
     
       3. The machine of claim 2 further comprising: a pincers located on each side of and forwardly of the male mold, each pincers having a pair of jaws that are relatively movable between open and closed position, each pincers being adapted when in its closed position to grip a side portion of the upper margin; jaw operating means for relatively moving each pair of jaws between open and closed positions; pincers mounting means mounting both pincers for forward-rearward movement; pincers drive means for effecting forward-rearward movements of the pincers mounting means; means for initially causing the jaw operating means to retain both pairs of jaws in their open positions; means for initially causing the pincers drive means to retain the pincers in rearward positions; means for thereafter causing the jaw operating means to close both pairs of jaws; means for thereafter causing the pincers drive means to move the pincers forwardly to thereby stretch the quarter about the male mold; optionally operable means for thereafter causing the jaw operating means to return both pairs of jaws to their open positions and for causing the pincers drive means to return the pincers to said rearward positions in the event that, pursuant to the stretching of the quarter about the male mold, the quarter back line is not bearing against the male mold rearmost end; and means, effective when the pincers have been moved forwardly, for effecting said moving of the female mold to its working position; characterized in that said pincers and said pincers mounting means comprise: a bar extending alongside each side of said beam portion, each bar being mounted for forward-rearward movement and each bar mounting a front pincers jaw; and a spacer bar, to which the second jaw of each pincers is affixed, rotatably mounting the fronts of the bars; characterized in that said jaw operating means comprises: a jaw operating motor connected to each bar for effecting its rotation; and characterized in that said pincers drive means comprises: a pincers drive motor connected to the bars for effecting their forward-rearward movements. 
     
     
       4. The machine of claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the quarter is so located on the male mold that the margin of the quarter extends upwardly of the bottom surface of the male mold, the machine further comprising: wiping means located above the female mold and mounted to the frame for movement in a wiping stroke from an idle position wherein the wiping means is disengaged from the quarter margin to a working position wherein the wiping means has wiped the quarter margin against the bottom surface of the male mold to thereby form a flange on the quarter; and means for imparting the wiping stroke to the wiping means after the actuation of the means for moving the female mold to its working position; characterized in that the stem so intersects the bottom surface of the male mold inwardly of the periphery of said bottom surface as to provide a border on said bottom surface between the stem and said periphery of sufficient size to accommodate the wiping means in its working position.